Fleeting Snow Kisses
by Fledgling
Summary: [My last minute, just for fun, entry to the Asucaga Winter Contest 2005. Oneshot.] And then she'd squealed and crushed him in a hug, saying thank you over and over again in his ear as he laughed, feeling lightheaded.


A/N: Written for the Asucaga Winter Contest 2005. Last minute entry, typed and completed in two hours. Reviews are gold. (!)

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_Fleeting Snow Kisses_

Christmas had been a quiet, pleasant affair at Orb, with a beautiful dinner cooked by Lacus (and assisted by Cagalli, who was slowly learning), finished off with a rich chocolate cake (bought, this time) and some wine to finish the night. The next morning Kira was the first to be up, tearing through his presents and positively weeping with glee at the new laptop from Athrun, and then they'd spent the rest of the day in and out of the house, disappointed by the downcast weather but having fun after they invited as many people as they could to the Athha manor.

Then Athrun had announced, to a wide-eyed Cagalli, that he had planned a little excursion to Switzerland for the middle of January. 'I know you have a little business to conduct there, and since you haven't taken a vacation in a while, I thought you might like it. And I know you've always said you want to see a place where there's lots and lots of snow,' he'd said to her, carefully watching her reaction as she gaped in the kitchen. Her glass of juice nearly tipped its orange contents into her socks.

And then she'd squealed and crushed him in a hug, saying thank you over and over again in his ear as he laughed, feeling light-headed.

---

They'd booked a hotel. It was a small, charming room, and had a refrigerator, and a television (of course). Right after Cagalli had personally taken care of…whatever it was (Athrun didn't bother to ask, anymore), they'd spent most of the first day eating and seeing the sights and chatting, catching up on each other and finally shrugging off the stress of everyday work. The sky had been white-grey, suggesting snow, but it wasn't until evening that Athrun peeked through the blinds and saw the first white flakes melting against his window.

So that was how they'd ended up strolling on the street, enjoying each other's company and relishing in the snow. Athrun liked snow. He thought it was much nicer than the rain that they got all too often in Orb and held a certain kind of enchanting excitement.

Their chatting had dwindled off, until both were silent. Earlier, Cagalli had recounted a conversation that she and Kira had two weeks earlier concerning something silly, which had eventually turned into a fight, and then into a joke. Looking ahead, Athrun saw a large café that looked like it had some hot drinks, and he turned to Cagalli, a suggestion rising in his throat.

And then his words halted halfway to his lips.

Athrun had never seen her cry. Nor had he ever seen her face as pale as it was now, a startling and unhealthy powdery white. Her too-red lips were stark against her face, and they were so red that for a moment, Athrun thought of blood. She looked like she could have melted into the snow falling in streaks behind her, but for those glowing amber eyes and dull scarlet lips. He wanted to help her, but he felt detached and confused, as if in the midst of watching a movie when the heroine was abruptly replaced by another actress.

Athrun watched her. In slow motion, his arm had reached out to stop her, incidentally brushing away a flutter of snow as his hand held her shoulder. She struggled for a moment, clearly bent on moving forward, but Athrun kept his hand where it was, willing her to turn and look at him.

"Athrun, what are you doing?" Her words were fierce, concentrated, quick, and annoyed. She didn't turn to look at him.

"Cagalli, what's—"

"Nothing!"

"Are you all right?"

"Of course I am," she retorted. Too quickly.

He sighed. "Cagalli…"

"Really, Athrun, it's nothing," she said. And right before his astonished eyes, she whacked his hand off her shoulder and then (not so discreetly) dragged it across her face. A glistening drop of moisture shimmered briefly on her mitten before it disappeared into her pocket again.

"Cagalli!"

"What, Athrun?" She sounded angry, and her steps slowed. Her shoulders were hunched in a position Athrun knew too well as the one that came before a shouting match, but he wasn't deterred. When she stopped, finally, exasperated and looking at the ground, he took his chance.

"You were crying."

"What? No I wasn't."

"Yes, you were," he insisted.

"And I said, no, I wasn't." she insisted back, mimicking his tone.

"Cagalli, please…is something wrong? If you didn't want to come on this trip, you could have just said so." His voice was pleading, gently, filled with confusion and doubt. She'd seemed thrilled about this trip in the beginning, and up until now, seemed to be enjoying herself thoroughly. In fact, Cagalli had been so happy she jumped at him, her strong arms squeezing his ribs in an enormous hug. He'd laughed, listening to her laugh along with him, filled with a bliss and freedom he missed hearing in her voice.

"No! That's not it at all." At this she half-turned, as if wanting to look at him, then changed her mind at the last second, swaying sulkily where she stood. Her long black coat, damp from the snow, was scrunched where she had stuffed her hands, and a soft brown scarf was wrapped messily around her neck, its ends spilling down her back

"Then what is it?"

"Like I said, nothing." She hesitated briefly before answering this time, something Athrun did not miss.

"Nothing?"

"That's right," she said, sounding relieved. "Now, can we move on? People are looking at us."

This was only partly true. While there was indeed, a small, bundled up woman wearing a pink toque staring at them from the opposite curb, most of the street was empty due to the thickening flurries of snow spiralling from the skies. Every once in a while someone would scurry by (with the occasional smitten couple), clearly in a rush to be somewhere, but there were hardly enough people to warrant Cagalli becoming embarrassed.

He didn't answer, but started to walk all the same, seeing her exaggerated movement of relief as she relaxed by his side again. A snowflake fell on his eye, and he brushed it away impatiently, shivering slightly. The night time stroll had somehow lost its enjoyment, and Athrun felt himself tense again, worried about Cagalli and feeling guilty for no reason at all. It didn't seem as though her tears concerned him in any way, and though he was used to her stubbornness, he was not used to her hiding her feelings. And when after a few more silent minutes, Cagalli did not start to babble an explanation or apology for the way she had acted, he decided, once again, to try and find out what was wrong—and if she refused to answer, then it was just as well.

He turned her to face him, mouth open and ready to speak. What he saw, however, shocked him into silence.

She was crying again, but this time, tears running freely down her cheeks. She was no longer pale, but flushed, and wet, a few strands of blonde hair tangled in her left eyelash.

"Cagalli?"

"Athrun, it's not you," she said. "It's just that…sometimes, you know, I think about who…the people that—you know, they're not with us anymore, and I wish they were, and I…" she trailed off, face puckering. Her lips were blue, and quivered. "My father used to take me out at night, sometimes, after a long week or month, or several months, just to make up for…whatever."

She smiled awkwardly, brushing away the tears and trying to avert her face from his probing eyes.

"I'm sorry, Athrun," she whispered. "I didn't mean to ruin this evening. I wanted to come out on this walk, I really did! The hotel's so stuffy, and it's so beautiful…" she trailed off again, looking like a child waiting to be spanked. Athrun wasn't quite sure what she was afraid of. A wild flush graced her cheeks, and she kept her gaze down, clearly feeling awkward. She sighed.

The snow was thicker than it had been all night, whirling around the two and wrapping them in their own white cocoon. It was freezing, the temperature making Athrun's ears burn, and very wet. His hair felt damp on top.

"Yeah, so, I'm sorry," she said quickly. Cagalli didn't like the way his eyes were resting on her, filling her with an unknown emotion and making her heart pound. Was he angry? His expression was so inscrutable, his eyes watching her so closely, that she wasn't sure.

"Cagalli…"

What was she supposed to make out from that tone? She said she was sorry, didn't she? Despite being a politician, Cagalli had never been too good with words; she usually relied on gruff, single-syllable statements to express her emotions, and most of the time, people seemed to get it. It was hard on her to try and communicate this feeling to Athrun, now—and she felt foolish, like she'd done something wrong. She knew she'd made him worried. She hated making Athrun worried. And it had been such an odd thing too, the tears; Cagalli never cried, and didn't usually need to release her emotions in that way, but all of a sudden it had simply hit her, hard, and she couldn't…

Her restless thoughts skidded to a halt, and imploded.

The first thing she noticed was that something was touching her cheek. His hand. Then his lips, numbly, and cold like her own, were against hers, and he was close to her. She felt her elbows being pulled forward, arms automatically rising into an embrace, two fists digging into Athrun's back.

Involuntarily, Cagalli held her breath. She kissed him back, and their noses bumped. She was aware of his warm, reassuring presence, his smell, the texture of his skin, and the taste of his lips. Arms suddenly snaking their way up his back, she tightened their embrace, sure that there was no way she could ever get enough, wanting to hold on to forever. She never wanted to let go. This moment was thrilling, and wonderful, and frightening, and filled with the one she loved—and Cagalli never wanted it to end. His arms, curled around her, were warm and protective, and Cagalli was sure she'd never felt so safe.

Gently pulling free her lips, she leaned her head against his chest, sighing, heart pounding so fiercely she was sure he could feel the vibration through her scarf and her coat.

"You know, Cagalli," he said. His chin was resting on her head. "I'm here for you." He held her tightly, her heart pounding recklessly through to his.

Those quiet, sincere words nearly made her start to cry again. Cagalli bit her lip. She wasn't sure why she felt embarrassed, or why her cheeks felt warm again; but they did. They stayed there for a long, painful, wonderful moment. She felt so secure in his arms, so safe, and felt glad that Athrun was there. She realized, once, that she would never have survived anything had it not been for his presence, urging her on. Cagalli flooded with gratitude.

"And it's so funny to see you uncomfortable," he said, now peering into her face with an amused look. She could tell he was trying to cheer her up, and it was working.

Cagalli grinned sheepishly, and closed her eyes.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

---

They went skiing. They also had several ridiculous snowball fights (all of which Cagalli lost) and overdosed on chocolate. Athrun bought Cagalli a watch. With a devilish grin, Cagalli bought Athrun a box of chocolates, and dared him to eat all of it before they got back to Orb. It turned into a challenge. And then they both ended up sharing the box, having a race to see who could eat the most.

They arrived in Orb just in time to console several of Cagalli's frantic employees as they pushed random scraps of paper at her filled with phone numbers and notes and meetings and other uselessly important things. Athrun donned his black sunglasses, and took his cool bodyguard stance. They snuck secret smiles at each other when they could, but all too soon, the cycle of work and stress and explosive tempers returned. Relationships became strained, and spring brought rain.

Cagalli sighed, pushing away the chocolates Lacus had kindly sent her. She tried to hide her disgust.

And then she smiled.

Till next year, then.


End file.
